Elder Rotary Stirling Engine

ABSTRACT

A pistonless rotary modified Stirling heat engine, sealed in a pressurized environment, which lacks a crankshaft and comprises a compressor and expansion rotor where each rotor has two hemispherically shaped disks which follow at least one track which is machined into the internal engine casing and which are connected on a single common rotor assembly shaft.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

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SEQUENCE LISTING

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to Stirling cycle engines in general and more specifically to a pistonless engine design using a unique disk and rotor system to greatly improve mechanical efficiency.

2. Description of the Related Art

For almost two hundred years, engineers have attempted to utilize the basic design of the Stirling engine to make it a feasible power source. While there have been considerable successes, the disadvantages of the existing piston Stirling engines have doomed them to a secondary role in engine development.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An important advantage of the instant invention is the complete elimination of pistons. This makes the engine much simpler mechanically and greatly reduces problems of wear and internal lubrication and sealing which have plagued existing Stirling engines. A second major advantage of the instant invention is the external combustion ignition system, rather than the usual internal combustion. This greatly improves thermal efficiency and reduces engine wear and complexity. It also greatly improves fuel efficiency.

The disk and track system provides a third major advantage. This improves working fluid transfer and helps to create a unique vacuum system which improves engine efficiency and power output. The compressor rotor at a phase angle also improves efficiency. This system enables the working fluid to be used at maximum efficiency and improves fluid transfer rates. The new design of the engine should provide for very little emissions. It is estimated that emissions may be as low as one-tenth of an internal combustion engine of the same horsepower rating.

The heat signature of the instant invention can be greatly reduced by adding an inverse turbine. This also has the effect of increasing overall power of the instant invention by an estimated fifteen percent. There is a disadvantage in doing so, however, in that adding an inverse turbine will substantially increase the overall weight and size of the instant invention.

The instant invention does not depend on small explosions of petroleum-based fuel for power, as do current designs of internal combustion engines. As a result, the instant invention will be much quieter and smoother in operation than current internal combustion engines.

The instant invention obtains heat from an igniter assembly, which is readily available commercially. It is possible to power this system electrically from solar panels or from batteries, which would permit the instant invention to operate underwater or in outer space where there is no oxygen available for combustion.

These and other objects and advantages of the instant invention will become apparent from the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the appended claims, together with the accompanying drawings and specifications.

The Elder engine has two other advantages in pure engine mechanics. The first is the lack of a crankshaft to translate the reciprocating energy of the pistons of an internal combustion engine into rotary energy. The Elder engine already produces rotary energy. The second major advantage is the fuel efficiency. The working gas in an internal combustion engine is an explosive fuel-air mixture, which is consumed as the engine runs. The working gas in the Elder engine is helium, which is continuously recycled. It is far more efficient to heat a small area to 1500° F. and maintain it than to cause a series of explosions. Fuel efficiency of an Elder engine can be far greater than that of an internal combustion engine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reference to a preferred embodiment set forth in the illustrations of the accompanying drawings. Although the illustrated embodiment is merely exemplary of methods for carrying out the present invention, both the organization and method of operation of the invention, in general, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to the drawings and the following description. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of this invention, which is set forth with particularity in the claims as appended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplify the invention.

FIG. 1 is a simplified drawing of the internal workings of an engine that may be used as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1-A is a detail of ports of a compression rotor that may be used as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1-B is a detail of the mountings of a compression rotor disk that may be used as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1-C is a detail of a compression rotor and track that may be used as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2-A shows the left side of an engine that may be used as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2-B shows the right side of an engine with intake and exhaust ports that may be used as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a simplified drawing of a disk and track within the rotors of an engine that may be used as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the invention, although different, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Furthermore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described herein in connection with one embodiment may be implemented within other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, it is to be understood that the location or arrangement of individual elements within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, appropriately interpreted, along with the full range of equivalents to which the claims are entitled. In the drawings, like numerals refer to the same or similar functionality throughout the several views.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the terms “embodiment(s) of the invention”, “alternative embodiment(s)”, and “exemplary embodiment(s)” do not require that all embodiments of the method, system, and apparatus include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. The following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or use.

Helium gas is injected into the compression rotor via an injection pump. A standard automobile starter is used to start the injection pump and to begin to spin the disk and rotor assemblies. Simultaneously, an externally mounted burner assembly heats the helium gas by conduction on the expansion rotor. At this point, there is a pressure differential between the compression rotor and the expansion rotor. This causes the helium to flow to the expansion rotor. The burner begins to heat the helium in the expansion rotor by conduction. Since there is now a pressure difference between the expansion rotor pressure and the compression rotor pressure, the helium gas flows rapidly back to the compression rotor. Throughout this process, the disks are being rotated by battery power. Once the hot helium gas is in the compression rotor, it will occupy a volume 1/27th of the volume available in the expansion rotor, which increases its pressure. Since this new pressure exceeds the pressure on the low pressure side of the expansion rotor, the helium flows back to the expansion rotor, where it is heated by the burner. The expansion rotor has now reached optimum operating temperature. When the temperature of the helium gas reaches approximately 1000° F. in the expansion rotor, the pressure of the hot helium gas forces the disks in the expansion rotor to rotate on internal power, rather than battery power. This force can be increased or diminished by means of a governor for particular applications. This takes a few seconds from the time the starter switch is turned until the engine is ready to start. A centrifugal switch is used to shut down the starter motor and to permit the disk and rotor assemblies to rotate on internal power.

There are several forces acting on the disks to cause them to rotate and to yield useful mechanical work. First, the helium is heated to a temperature of 1000° F. and a pressure of approximately 500 psi. The disks are connected to the rotor assemblies, which are connected to the common rotor assembly shaft, the torque converter, and then to the transmission. Thus, when the helium gas moves the disk, mechanical work is extracted.

The second force involves the rotation of the disk and rotor assemblies. The engine is not a static system. The disks and rotor assemblies are in fact spinning at up to 50 times per second. This rotation creates additional kinetic energy and centrifugal force which can be used to spin the disks faster than they otherwise would.

The third force at work is caused by the compression rotor. Since the pressure of the helium on the compression side of the engine is greater than the low pressure volume of helium on the opposite side of the expansion disk, the pressure differential will cause the helium gas to flow rapidly towards the expansion rotor. The moving helium strikes the rotor at a 90 degree angle from its plane of rotation in order to maximize this effect. For example, if one were to break off the regulator valve of a scuba tank, the high pressure air in the scuba tank would quickly escape and cause the scuba tank to be propelled rapidly in the opposite direction. The Elder engine is able to harness this force to increase the efficiency of the engine. This force acts to pull the disk in the proper direction, as the heated helium acts to push the disk in the proper direction. All three of these forces work together for maximum efficiency. In contrast, in an internal combustion engine, a fuel-air mixture is compressed into a small space by a piston and then ignited by a spark plug to produce a small explosion. The pressure created by the explosion forces the piston back downwards. There are no rotational forces or rapidly moving helium available to assist in this process. The Elder engine creates rotational force as it works, while an internal combustion engine creates reciprocating force. An internal combustion engine requires a crankshaft to translate its reciprocating force into rotational force, at a substantial loss of engine power and engine efficiency. In contrast, an Elder engine has no need of a crankshaft, and is able to translate much more of its mechanical energy into useful work. The disk assembly has small vent holes that correspond with the vent openings to the heat exchanger. When the disks have rotated clockwise to the proper position, approximately 90 degrees from the original starting position, the hot helium gas is exhausted to the compression rotor through a heat exchanger.

There are inlet and exhaust ports in both the expansion and compression rotors which are controlled by valves. The valve timing is regulated by the motion of the disks on the track. The helium gas is channeled through bored tubes which pass through the length of the central main shaft. When the helium gas reaches the compression rotor, the disks in the compression rotor rotate. This can also be adjusted by means of a governor for maximum efficiency for particular vehicle applications. When the disks have rotated to the proper position, approximately 180 degrees from the original starting position, the cooling helium is exhausted back to the expansion rotor. Since there is now a lower pressure zone on one side of the expansion rotor, the force of the cooling helium will cause the disks of the expansion rotor to rotate 180 degrees to its original position, and the cycle then repeats. The disks will spin at an estimated peak velocity of 3000 rpm. The expansion and compression rotors are physically connected on a single common rotor assembly shaft to ensure that the disks in each rotor rotate at the same speed and maintain proper position for maximum gas flow.

The bearings supporting the common rotor assembly shaft permit it to rotate with minimal friction. The torque converter will smooth out the vibration and pulse of the engine. At one end of the engine there is a gearbox assembly to translate the rotational momentum of the engine into workable force. The engine will also have a governor to prevent the disks from spinning faster than needed for maximum power. The governor may also be used to permit the engine to rotate at lower temperatures and pressures for particular vehicle applications.

The disks, the rotors and the track serve multiple purposes. The face of the disks act as working surfaces for the transduction of thermal energy into mechanical energy. The disks also act as a metering device for proper valve actuation. The rotors serve as a mount for the disks and transmit the working forces of the engine to the main shaft. The track acts as a timing device for the proper metering of the valve actuation.

At least some of the above described example methods and/or apparatus may be implemented by one or more software and/or firmware programs running on a computer processor. However, dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to, an ASIC, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement some or all of the example methods and/or apparatus described herein, either in whole or in part. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the example methods and/or apparatus described herein.

It should also be noted that the example software and/or firmware implementations described herein are optionally stored on a tangible storage medium, such as: a magnetic medium (e.g., a disk or tape); a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk; or a solid state medium such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile) memories; or a signal containing computer instructions. A digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the example software and/or firmware described herein can be stored on a tangible storage medium or distribution medium such as those described above or equivalents and successor media.

To the extent the above specification describes example components and functions with reference to particular devices, standards and/or protocols, it is understood that the teachings of this disclosure are not limited to such devices, standards and/or protocols. Such systems are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient systems having the same general purpose. Accordingly, replacement devices, standards and/or protocols having the same general functions are equivalents which are intended to be included within the scope of the accompanying claims.

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents. 

1. A pistonless rotary modified Stirling heat engine, sealed in a pressurized environment, which lacks a crankshaft and comprises a compressor and expansion rotor where each rotor has two hemispherically shaped disks which follow at least one track which is machined into the internal engine casing and which are connected on a single common rotor assembly shaft.
 2. The engine of claim 1 where the track system is offset from the vertical axis of the disk to create a toroidal precession for opening and closing two sets of ports to vent the working fluid to and from each rotor.
 3. The engine of claim 1 where an external igniter source, which could burn any combustible fuel, or be powered by electrical energy from solar power or batteries, is used.
 4. The engine of claim 1 where the pressure of hot helium gas forces the disks in the expansion rotor to rotate and where rotation of the disks and rotor assemblies creates additional kinetic energy and centrifugal force to increase the power output of the engine.
 5. The engine of claim 1 where the compression rotor creates a pressure differential which acts in concert with the forces described in claim 4 above to increase the power output of the engine.
 6. The engine of claim 1 where a heat exchanger is used to cool the working fluid between the rotors.
 7. The engine of claim 1 where there is a preset differential phase angle from the disk positions of the compression rotor to the disk positions of the expansion rotor in order to ensure proper timing and compression.
 8. The engine of claim 1 where a low pressure zone or vacuum is created on one side of the rotors during engine operation.
 9. The engine of claim 1 where the engine uses a gas or a liquid as a working fluid.
 10. The engine of claim 1 where the preferred embodiment of the engine uses gaseous helium as a working fluid.
 11. The engine of claim 1 where the engine uses a torque converter to translate the rotational energy created by the engine into applicable working force.
 12. The engine of claim 1 where the engine has an inverse turbine mounted aft of the expander rotor to act as a heat recovery device. 